


The Forrest for the Trees

by DrDestiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Feelings, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Matchmaker Sam Winchester, Oblivious Sam Winchester, Post-Episode: s12e12 Stuck In The Middle (With You)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 04:58:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14277405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrDestiel/pseuds/DrDestiel
Summary: "I love you. I love all of you"Sam took a few literature courses in his day, a few psych ones too. That was a loaded admission. Sam is frustrated that no one else noticed it. So he does what he does best and decides to talk about it.Turns out he was wrong about everything.





	The Forrest for the Trees

 

Sam was analyzing the events of last night for the millionth time. He tried putting the words in every context imaginable. He made allowances for the situation. The history between them, the years of surviving in the trenches. He even considered anatomy, how hard it would be to get words out with a wound that significant. _Did he even need to breathe?_ He couldn’t remember.

Nothing he came up with changed anything. There was really one, and only one answer that fits. He cursed his grey matter for latching on to this. For playing with it like a riddle that he had to solve. For not being able to let it go like everyone else seems to have.

_Why did he have to have this epiphany? Why was this his burden to bear? Why did he have to have the only shred of emotional intelligence in the entire bunker? Why did he have to care?_

 

                   // “I love you. I love all of you.”//

 

Damn it this was going to suck. He could already hear the cursing, the slammed doors, and a potential fist to his jaw and that was only taking Dean into account. He had no way of knowing what to expect from Cas. So that was where he’d start.

He waits in the kitchen the next morning in lieu of going on his regular jog. Cas was the only other morning person in the family so he’d be by for his cup of coffee soon.

 

“Sam” Cas’s gruff voice comes from the doorway as he shuffles over to the percolating jo on the counter.

 

“Hey, Cas. How’re you doing?” He sits up straight and chews his bottom lip as he considers how to bring this up. Finally, he decides that direct was the best way to go with the very literal Angel. He waits for the guy to settle across from him and watches as he gingerly sipps on his coffee.

“I’m fine Sam” He looks almost normal – truly miraculous considering the events of the night before. His eyes seem a little more tired than usual, and there was a bruise on his neck but no black goo. Sam swallows hard as he remembers the sight of Cas in that barn. He has seen more than his share of dead and dying but Cas was his brother and that had been truly gut-wrenching to witness. He shakes his head to get back to the moment, he clears his throat softly before diving in.

“So…Cas I wanted to ummm. I wanted to ask you about something?” Sam stutters out. _Smooth Winchester real smooth._

Cas just looks up from his cup with slightly raised eyebrows focusing on Sam and waits. The guy is very sparing with words, another thing he considered in his analysis as he lay awake last night. He tends to say what needs to be said, gutted down to the core, makes his point with no adjectives or superlatives. Efficient, sometimes brutally honest.

 

“Last night, what you said. In the barn.” Sam continues to show off his brilliant verbal skills, _maybe law school wouldn’t have worked out after all._

 

Cas just tilts his head a few degrees, it translates to “What is your question Sam” without saying a word. Economical bastard.

 

“What did you mean?” Sam gets out lamely.

 

“Which part?” Cas is still the picture of composed.

 

“Um, when you thought you were dying, you ummm. The part about love?” Sam hedges hoping Cas remembers the exact phrase so he doesn’t have to repeat it.

 

“I told you I loved you. I meant it. We are family Sam, I think of you as my brother more so than any of my sisters or brethren in heaven.” Cas is giving Sam a soft look, like he thinks Sam needed to be reassured that Cas wasn’t taking it back. Like Sam is doubting the affection he has for him. He almost laughs when he suddenly remembers meeting the Angel and how cold he’d been to the “boy with demon blood”.  It's sweet really, in that awkward way of his. He smiles a little.

 

“Yeah no, I mean same here Cas. You’re every bit my brother as much as Dean is. Um, I meant the first part. “ And he shoots Cas one of his soft questioning looks. He is trying to be delicate but he might just have to come out with it and ask directly.

Cas frowns at him then his face clears with realization. “Oh, you mean when I told Dean I loved him?” and he looks at Sam with such an innocent look, no embarrassment, no blushing. He’s even making eye contact as he waits for Sam to follow up with an actual question.

No stutter, no denial, no attempt to elaborate or explain or deflect. He just waits for Sam to say something. And Sam almost forgets how to _English_. Of all the scenarios he ran through in his head this was not one of them.

 

“Yeah, what did you mean?” Sam gets out on an exhale.

 

Now Cas is looking at him like he is worried about him. “That I love him.” Cas affirms.

 

“Okay, yeah I get it- you love us. But you said “I love you, I love all of you” and you were looking at _Dean_ when you said the first part.” Sam tries to explain, he feels like he is not making the point he was trying to make. Cas isn’t getting it.

 

“Why would I not look at him when I was talking to him?” Cas looks confused like he is watching the Pizza man doing something strange again.

 

Sam runs his fingers through his hair in frustration – this was not going as planned. How did this go so wrong?  “Cas did you mean it?”

 

“Yes. Sam, I understand your family is not very expressive about your feelings but I would not say it if I did not mean it. I know it makes Dean uncomfortable but I did not realize it would bother you this much. I apologize.” Cas is looking at him with that soft expression again like Sam is some kid who needs a hug.

 

“Wait you talked to Dean about it? You said it makes him uncomfortable?” Sam latches on to the little thread determined to get to the bottom of this.

 

“You know your brother. He is not one for talking about his feelings. He gets uncomfortable when I tell him that I love him, I try not to. But we have agreed that when one is dying it is acceptable.” Cas says sounding like he is not entirely pleased with the arrangement.

 

“Wait, what? You’ve told him you love him before?” Sam is feeling completely lost.

 

“Yes, he usually tries to distract me when I start “chick flick moments” but he no longer tries to talk me out of it.” Cas uses his finger quotes and finishes with a soft smile.

 

Sam rubs at his eyes and tries to understand what is happening. “So, Dean knows you love him? You’ve told him more than once? What did he say? When?” Sam stammers he feels like he needs a drink, this whole situation has gotten away from him and he has no idea how to deal with it.

 

Dean knows Cas loves him. Apparently, he’s told him before. There was no blow-up. No fight about it. He didn’t kick Cas out of the bunker. Sam feels like he just woke up in bizarro world.

 

“Does he say it back?” comes out almost as a whisper.

 

Before Cas gets a word out they are interrupted by Dean sauntering into the kitchen.

 

“Hey fella’s.” he pours a cup and leans against the counter when they don’t say anything.

“What’s up? You guys look like I interrupted something pretty intense. Did George RR Martin die?” Dean takes in the scene of his brother frowning and starting between Cas and him like one of them grew an extra head.

 

“Cas loves you.” Sam blurts out and he isn’t sure if it’s a question or statement.

 

“That’s what he keeps telling me.” Dean deadpans taking a sip of his coffee.

\---------------------

Sam is an idiot. He is a former honor student who got a full ride to Stanford but he’s an idiot. 

He was so focused on analyzing the minutia that he missed the big friggin rom-com happening right in his face. Looking back it makes everything seem glaringly obvious. 

Dean’s obsession with getting Cas away from Lucifer last year. The way Amara used the angel to manipulate Dean. Cas wanting to go with Dean when he faced her. Dean’s personal interest in Lilly’s story. The stupid bickering between the two was so obviously a lovers quarrel. 

The noises heard from Dean’s room that he assumed was porn. Last week, when he walked into the bathroom and Dean, freaked out from the showers yelling at him about privacy. He’d thought he walked in on Dean having a private moment but apparently, Cas was there. On his knees.

They tell him they have been doing the horizontal tango for almost a year now. Dean admits to being “gone on the guy” since Purgatory. Dean’s teasing with the waitress at the diner was for Wally’s benefit- they try not to make people uncomfortable with their relationship. Dean doesn’t “give a fuck about Cas having a dick”- he worries that hunters will take issue with the angel thing. 

Sam feels like a fool when Mary laughs at dinner when they tell her about the confusion. Apparently, when she refers to them as her “boys” she means that as her sons and her son in law. She and Cas have even gone on little dates to get to know each other better. Trips to the Farmers Market and a few festivals. Dean gets jealous.

Sam is the worlds worst matchmaker.

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to take a study break and finish this little idea up. There is a time stamp of sorts that follows this if there is any real interest I will proof it and post it?
> 
> Thanks for reading friends and say hello- I have been home alone studying for my board exams for weeks and it's lonely!


End file.
